Separation of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Governing Regional Variability of Arctic Sea Ice in Summer

• Published in: Advances in atmospheric sciences Vol. 40; no. 12; pp. 2344 - 2361
• Main Authors: Wang, Shaoyin, Liu, Jiping, Cheng, Xiao, Greatbatch, Richard J., Wei, Zixin, Chen, Zhuoqi, Li, Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Science Press 01-12-2023; Springer Nature B.V; Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences,Christian Albrechts University of Kiel,Kiel 24118,Germany%School of Geospatial Engineering and Science,Sun Yat-sen University,and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Zhuhai),Zhuhai 519000,China%Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change,Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology,Nanjing 210044,China; School of Geospatial Engineering and Science,Sun Yat-sen University,and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Zhuhai),Zhuhai 519000,China; University Corporation for Polar Research,Zhuhai 519000,China%Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences,State University of New York at Albany,Albany NY 12222,USA%GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,Kiel 24105,Germany
• Subjects: Ablation; Albedo; Albedo (solar); Annual variations; Anomalies; Arctic sea ice; Atmospheric circulation; Atmospheric circulation patterns; Atmospheric Sciences; Climatology; Cloud cover; Clouds; Dynamic height; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Easterlies; Feedback; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geopotential; Geopotential height; Height anomalies; Interannual variability; Interannual variations; Long wave radiation; Meteorology; Original Paper; Radiation; Sea ice; Solar radiation; Spatial variations; Summer; Towards Improving Understanding and Prediction of Arctic Change and its Linkage with Eurasian Mid-latitude Weather and Climate; Water vapor; Water vapour; Winds; Arctic region; Arctic sea ice; 北极环流型; 北极海冰; 云量; 水汽; water vapor; Arctic circulation patterns; cloud cover; shortwave and longwave radiation; 短波和长波辐射
• ISSN: 0256-1530; 1861-9533
• DOI: 10.1007/s00376-022-2176-1

In recent decades, Arctic summer sea ice extent (SIE) has shown a rapid decline overlaid with large interannual variations, both of which are influenced by geopotential height anomalies over Greenland (GL-high) and the central Arctic (CA-high). In this study, SIE along coastal Siberia (Sib-SIE) and Alaska (Ala-SIE) is found to account for about 65% and 21% of the Arctic SIE interannual variability, respectively. Variability in Ala-SIE is related to the GL-high, whereas variability in Sib-SIE is related to the CA-high. A decreased Ala-SIE is associated with decreased cloud cover and increased easterly winds along the Alaskan coast, promoting ice—albedo feedback. A decreased Sib-SIE is associated with a significant increase in water vapor and downward longwave radiation (DLR) along the Siberian coast. The years 2012 and 2020 with minimum recorded ASIE are used as examples. Compared to climatology, summer 2012 is characterized by a significantly enhanced GL-high with major sea ice loss along the Alaskan coast, while summer 2020 is characterized by an enhanced CA-high with sea ice loss focused along the Siberian coast. In 2012, the lack of cloud cover along the Alaskan coast contributed to an increase in incoming solar radiation, amplifying ice-albedo feedback there; while in 2020, the opposite occurs with an increase in cloud cover along the Alaskan coast, resulting in a slight increase in sea ice there. Along the Siberian coast, increased DLR in 2020 plays a dominant role in sea ice loss, and increased cloud cover and water vapor both contribute to the increased DLR.